Ans: Animals are placid and self-contained. They worry neither about their condition nor about their sins. They are not dissatisfied, respectable, unhappy or demented with the mania of owning things. They show their relations with the poet. So the poet Walt Whitman feels more at home with them.

What quality of the animals mesmerizes the poet?

Ans: The poet is mesmerised with the animals’ qualities such as placidity, self-dependence, complacence and simplicity.

How do the animals act about their condition and duty to God?

Ans: The animals never sweat and whine about their condition. They do not make others sick discussing their duty to God.

How are animals superior to human beings?

Ans: The animals are placid, self-sufficient, complacent and simple. Unlike humans, they do not worry about their condition and sins, nor do they make others sick discussing their duty to God. They are not demented with the mania of owning things. So they are superior to human beings.

What are the ‘tokens’ that the poet says he may have dropped long ago, and which the animals have kept for him?

Ans: The ‘tokens’ are of mutual love and understanding that the ancestors of the poet used to share with the animals thousands of years ago. The poet says that they dropped them and the animals kept them.

Mention three things that humans do and animals don’t.

Ans: Humans sweat and whine about their condition; but animals don’t. Humans lie awake at night and weep for their sins; but animals don’t. Humans make each other sick discussing their duty to God, but animals don’t.

“I think I could turn and live with animals,

They are so placid and self-contain’d.

I stand and look at them long and long.”

(a) Name the poet and the poem.

Ans: The name of the poet is Walt Whitman and the poem is “Animals”.

(b) What quality of the animals impressed the poet?

Ans: The qualities of placidity, self-dependence, complacence and simplicity of the animals impressed the poet.

“They do not sweat and whine about their condition

They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins.

They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God”

(a) Who is the ‘they’ referred to here?

Ans: The ‘they’ referred to here are the animals.

(b) Name the things ‘they’ do not do.

Ans: ‘They’ do not worry about their condition or sins. ‘They’ do not make …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………